Keep a Weekly Accomplishment Journal

Episode #3 of the course How to improve your self-confidence by Patricia Haddock

 

Welcome to today’s lesson.

Yesterday, we focused on your existing abilities and knowledge. At the end of the lesson, I asked you to give yourself credit by completing this sentence: “I know a lot about and have skills in [list everything you checked on your lists].”

How did it make you feel to write about your skills and abilities?

If you’re like most people, you felt proud of yourself.

What would it be like if you could do this any time your confidence faltered?

You can! Just by using an Accomplishment Journal, the topic of today’s lesson.

Let’s be honest: In the crush and rush of daily work and deadlines, it’s easy to forget what you did yesterday, let alone six months ago! The small, daily victories are quickly forgotten, but they are the ones that keep your self-confidence strong. Your Accomplishment Journal lets you record large and small successes and helps you build your confidence muscle.

Start by choosing the type of journal you want. It can be simple or elaborate: a hand-crafted, one-of-a-kind book you create; a simple notebook from the office supply store; a Word document; the Note app on a smartphone; etc.

Avoid using journals that focus on goal setting; the Accomplishment Journal is used for what you have achieved, not what you plan to achieve. Don’t store your Journal on a work computer either, since you want to maintain your Journal’s privacy.

Once you have your Journal, here’s what to do:

• Choose the day you will make your Journal entry.

• Give yourself quiet time to think about what you accomplished that week.

• Don’t limit yourself to just the big things. Everything—big and small, professional and personal—counts! For example, it could be finishing a report, resolving a customer problem, volunteering at Habitat for Humanity, helping a neighbor move, building a birdhouse, and so on.

• Add more information if you want. You could explain your process for resolving that customer problem or what you did for Habitat for Humanity. The more detail you add, the more effective it will be later when you need to refer to the information. This record comes in handy for performance reviews at work, for resumes and job interviews, and for reminding yourself of how much you can achieve, especially when the going gets tough.

• Use simple bullet points, or feel free to add artwork, collages, or anything that serves to boost your pride in what you did.

Big changes and results don’t usually happen in an instant. It takes consistent, regular action, so get in the habit of completing your Journal each week. As the entries in your Journal begin to add up, you will have visual proof of what you can achieve. It will become easier to give yourself credit and believe in yourself in the future.

Tomorrow, you will learn a tool to help you feel more confident and more easily communicate self-confidence when you are faced with an unfamiliar situation or task. The Boy Scouts have it right. You just need to be prepared.

Have fun creating your Accomplishment Journal.

See you tomorrow.

Patricia

 

Recommended reading

The Accomplishment Journal: A Yardstick against Your Life

 

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